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Grosjean disappointed in suspension; Lotus to pick replacement for Monza

September 1, 2012

Romain Grosjean walks away from the crash scene at Spa in Belgium on Sunday. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Romain Grosjean says he did not deliberately try to block Lewis Hamilton in the Formula One crash at Spa-Francorchamps that caused the first-corner crash, but says he respects the stewards' decision of suspending him from the upcoming Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Grosjean has been involved in a string of first-lap incidents this year, costing his Lotus team valuable points.

“When your life is all about racing, not being allowed to attend an event is probably one of the worst experiences you can go through,” Grosjean said. “That said, I do respect the verdict of the stewards. I got a good start--despite being disturbed by Pastor's early launch, which I think was the case for everybody at the front--and was heading into the first corner when the rear of my car made contact with the front of Lewis's car.

“I honestly thought I was ahead of him, and there was enough room for both cars. I didn't deliberately try to squeeze him or anything like that. This first corner situation obviously isn't what anyone would want to happen, and thankfully no-one was hurt in the incident. I wish to apologize to the drivers who were involved, and to their fans. I can only say that today is part of a process that will make me a better driver."

“It's been a tough day for the team but we fully respect the stewards' decision,” said team boss Eric Boullier. “Romain won't be driving at Monza but he still has our full support. We'll announce the name of his replacement a bit later in the week.”

Meanwhile, regarding Raikkonen's third place, he added: “Unfortunately we didn't have the pace for Kimi to challenge Jenson or Sebastian. We had to look closely at the strategy during the race to see if we should switch to one stop, but in the end a podium finish still brings us some good points.

“Of course, everyone talks about the win, and this is something we all want. We were not fast enough for it today, so we all need to keep working hard for this goal.”